week fourteen

Today, I went the a few friends to see a movie. After a long time arguing we settled on "Knowing" with Nicolas Cage.

I thought the movie started out good, but jumped off the deep end of Si-Fi in the last 45min. I won't ruin the movie if you planned to see it, with details, so I'll give a brief overview.

The end of the world is predicted, but this time no one can stop it.

That's all you need to know.

The movie took on a thriller feel with a real life, or at least plausible, story. Then the producers let their imaginations run wild and got carried away with the special effects.

I didn't care for it, but talking to others who have seen it, the responses varied (like with any other movie).

week thirteen

I know the post is late, but I didn't realize we had to complete an entry over the week we had off.
I was busy that week with the project for this class, and my history class.
I won't go into this classes project as that will be shown later. However, the topic for history could be related back to this class.
I am looking into how history is taught; basically one-sided. An example would be, how students are taught about WWII from the American side, and rarely the German side.
Apparently the unwritten rule was, the winner got to tell the story. It wasn't until very recently, historians have gone back and started look at history differently.
This could relate to this class (or at least my project for this class) in how historians are starting to develop their own literacy; understand fully what is going on underneath the big picture. Kind of like media literacy.

week twelve

It has been a busy week for me, so I haven't had time to watch much television or be on the Internet. However I took time off to read, which is something I haven't done in a while. The book is called Shantahram. The man who wrote it lived these events but wrote the book as a novel. He escaped from prison to live in Bombay, India where the book takes place. Here, he learns to let go of his dark past and live in the present. The first line of the book is "It took me a long time and most of the world to learn what I know about love and fate and the choices we make, but the heart of it came to me in an instant, while i was chained to a wall and being tortured."
Surprisingly the book has a lot of subtle spiritual aspects to it. Something many people could benefit from. Check it out. I'm only half way through it, but I love it so far. It's written by Gregory David Roberts and published in 2003 in Australia and New Zealand.

Photoshop

The company "Mattel" is the toy company that has had the recalls in children's toys in the recent past years.

The toys were made in China and said to have magnets that the kids could choke on, as well as lead based paint. The skull and cross bones is the universal 'Toxic waste' sign. Barbie, PollyPocket, and many other toys or products for infants were among those things that were recalled.

week eleven

Last semester, I worked back stage for the play 'Raised in Captivity'. For the most part we had nothing to do, so we were on Youtube all the time. One of the girls is really into the Hiphop style of dance, and had a whole list of videos. I couldn't remember any of the names, so while searching I came across this one. I tried to find a better one, but could not.

The quality it not good, but the show had to be amazing (if the people in the audience didn't have the flashes on their cameras on!). These dancers used black lights to make their show unique. They look to be good dancers but their use of lighting made it even more interesting to watch. (The reason I chose to do a dance video this week is because Dance CoMotion is has their semester performance April 9-11.) Instead of using just white gloves, they also use masks and poles to add to it. Hope you enjoy!

week ten

Well, since I mentioned Rent in the reaction essay, I thought it would a good idea to elaborate on it (and throw in a clip). Later, the actors mentioned are pointed out as they appear in the clip.
The clip is from the movie, but has at least five of the original cast members (from the Broadway version) playing the same characters. "Seasons of Love" is the opening song, and the tune can be heard throughout the movie.

Rent was written in the 90's by Jonathan Larson. Larson tragically died during the final dress rehearsals and never saw it on stage. It opened off Broadway but gained popularity and became the seventh longest running show.

The story is set in New York during the AIDS epidemic in the 80's. With eight main characters, their stories intertwine. Mark (on far end) is a film producer, Rodger (between Tom and Joanne) is a musician and is HIV+, Tom (sings second solo) is a computer teacher looking for work also HIV+, Benjamin (on Mimi's right) is a landlord and the only one to leave the group. Joanne (curly haired soloist) is a lawyer and Maureen's love, Angel (on left of Mark) is a HIV+ transvestite and Tom's love, Mimi (first close up) is a exotic dancer with AIDS. She falls for Rodger and is a drug addict. Finally there is Maureen (the redhead) who is a performer.

The movie takes place in the course of a year. During that time, Mark and Tom find work, Rodger writes his final song, Maureen and Joanne get married, Angel dies and Mimi nearly loses the battle to drugs. It is a musical, so be warned, but the singing and dancing is great (one of my favorites).

Reaction Essay 5

The Celluloid Closet

I found this documentary to be interesting. I did not know a lot about homosexuality in Hollywood and didn’t really pick up on its lack thereof. The only movie (that I can think of or have seen) is Rent that has both a gay and a lesbian couple. However; going along with the theme of being portrayed in a negative light, the gay couple are both HIV+. To counter act that or make it easier for the audience to deal with, the straight couples in the film are HIV+ as well; one even has the AIDS virus. Of course this play/movie was written in the 90’s and set in the 80’s during the AIDS epidemic in New York City.

Being in and around the Theatre since the sixth grade, a large population is either homosexual or a transvestite; in fact a few of my friends are. It has never bothered me, but the documentary pointed out how hard it is for them to find acceptance both in society and within themselves (which I found sad). I guess if you’re comfortable with who you are, the rest of the world should not matter.

It also made me laugh that Hollywood made a Production Code and censored themselves. I have a friend who is big on fighting censorship, but I always point out who does the censoring; the Catholic Church (not something I’m proud of as a Catholic) along with other religious groups (mostly Catholics though…) and the actual producers/writers themselves.

Reaction Essay 4

I was unable to make any of the film festival so chose to watch a documentary called Hollywood verse the Mob; Fact verse Fiction. This documentary is nine episodes long, most of which I have already watched. For this assignment I watched the final two; The Jewish Mafia and The Godfathers. The series build on one another explaining the rise and fall of the Mobs in America, and those who ran them. It does this by looking at the old film from Hollywood and showing how they related to actual events. The last two tied them all together and showed how the Mobs and crime families were all interconnected.
The Purple Gang, and Honor Thy Father were the last films to be looked at (and the ones I found most interesting). They talked about the most violent gang of all; The Purple Gang (Jewish Mafia). The rise of this gang came in the 1920’s when 2.5 million Jews immigrated to the United States. Because the poverty level was high for immigrants, the only way to make money was through crime. This gang thrived off Bootlegging, kidnapping, extortion, the selling of narcotics, gambling, car theft, and prostitution rings. Over time, this gang became the most feared because of the ruthlessness they showed. The gang was responsible for over five hundred murders in Detroit, where they were based. The gang disbanded in the early 1930s because of outside mobs taking over, and disagreements within. This was the only one of the organized crime circles that was not based on a Crime Family.
Honor Thy Father is based on revenge. New York was caught in a civil war between two old Sicilian families, only to be taken out by what was known as The Commission. The commission was made up of members from both sides of the families (younger generation) that ended the war; but only for a short time. The two families split into five and conflict arose again. In the 1960s Joe Valachi came out and told the FBI everything he knew about the crime families, causing their final downfall. The families turned on each other and started turning each other in to the authorities.
Hollywood (for the most part) was true to the actual events. The actors in The Purple Gang were wrong; instead of being Jewish, they were portrayed as Italian. At the time when the movie came out (1960) the producers knew a movie about a Jewish gang would not sell. The events in Honor Thy Father follow more closely. There is a scene where every mob boss in the nation to meet and discuss how to survive the crackdown. The meeting was raided and many were arrested.
I liked this documentary, as it looked an more recent U.S history as well as Hollywood movies. It tied two of my favorite things together (history and film) and shows how the film industry knows there history and how far off the track they will go to make the movie sell. It also shows how the organized crime unit came to be in America and how they helped shape it.

week seven

I didn't have much to do today, so I gave in and watched a movie.
One of my favorites actually, Windtalkers (I love WWII movies).

This one is perhaps my favorite because of the storyline. The U.S Army come up with the Navajo Code, (based off the Navajo language) and this code was used in fighting WWII on the Soloman Islands of Japan. The two main characters, Ben Yahzee (Adam Beach) and Joe Enders (Nicolas Cage) are put into the same company. Joe is given orders to watch over Ben, and if all else fails, kill him to protect the code. Enders is forced to kill Ben's friend, Charlie Whitehorse under these orders. Ben is furious with Enders and nearly kills him. In the last few minutes of the movie Joe's is killed, but not before saving Ben. (There are a few sub plots in this movie, but this is the main one)



The movie has a few parallel scenes. Joe lost a company of 15 men a few months ago; thus the reason for him having shell shock. His first time back in action he goes on a killing spree. The scene is mirrored near the end when Ben goes on his own killing spree after losing his friend. The audio and lighting in these scenes are almost the same; the yelling and gunfire sounds are similar (but probably not the same). This reminded me of the presentation on Crash in class. The only difference was the action that was the same.

In these two scenes, the actors facial expressions are the same. The viewer can see the same look of desperation in the eyes of the actors during the killing spree. When the roles are switched, the one watching has the same surprised/shocked look on his face.

This is the reason I love this movie; the acting is amazing. It's also in my favorite genre.

week six

While helping a friend make a collage for a class, I came across this picture. The caption (not seen here) reads "Uniformed workers spend 10hr days polishing diamonds at the Blue Star plant in Surat....Indian diamond workers have perfected the art of cutting tiny stones. Bought for $90, more than a hundred of these gems - each with 58 facets - can barely frost a strawberry."

The picture is from a National Geographic magazine, under the article "Diamonds; the Real Story." The article talked about the wars in Africa, the trade markets in India and the companies that will by these 'conflict' diamonds (the ones that are sold and bought to fund war).

These small stones have torn countries apart, but the demand keeps growing. However diamonds are not rare, they are just made up to be so the price will go up. I thought his picture was interesting. The colors are bright, it's simple, and features shiny objects. (I guess it was the article that made the pictures interesting, but I only could find a small portion of it).

Reaction Essay 3

The Corporation

Corporations in this film were viewed or compared to family, a telephone system (reaching everywhere), eagles (soaring and competitive), a monster (devouring profits), a whale (large), Dr. Frankenstein’s Creation (overwhelming the world) and a person. One said it was like a small democratic country. What a corporation really is; is a group of people working to make money legally (some illegally). But without them, life would not be what it is today.

The film showed corporations in a negative light; gaining power by any means possible, causing various amounts of harm to both people and the environment; layoffs, unions, unsafe conditions, sweatshops, pollution, toxic waste, etc. The film also said they have low morals by allowing these things to happen. Most of this is true. They use the cheapest labor possible, pollute the air and water, are penalized for unlawful actions, and are patenting things that should not be (such as biological research). They have been accused of helping the Anix forces (Germany, Japan, and Italy) during World War II, making money off wars and conflicts and now targeting children (but as in Merchants of Cool, this proves very effective).

If it wasn’t for corporations, there wouldn’t be a need for this class because there would be absolutely no media. News stations, and television shows are run by corporations. Books and magazines have publishing companies that are defined as corporations. Music is distributed under various label companies also known as corporations. All house hold appliances come from several different corporations. Clothing also has its corporations. Basically everything you own comes from a corporation or can at least be linked back to one.

Now just because a corporation owns everything in daily lives, does not mean it owns the in-material. Blogs for instance are still free from copyright laws. The ideas or content that people post are not copyrighted (however the blog’s server is). The same goes with small, private or family owned businesses. They are small enough not to need a corporation, but they still advertise, and make money. And this is what (according to the film) corporations fear; privatizing. To privatize a company is to have ownership by a non-government company and the stock of such company is owned by a small number of holders who cannot trade it in the stock market. The private companies are making money, but corporations are losing out.

So because we have corporations and private companies, we have advertisements. Any company’s goal is to make money, and in order to do so, they must sell their product; wither it be a television show down to a car and all the way down to your socks. And these corporations are very tricky; they weave such an intricate web of who owns what that it is virtually impossible to (entirely) boycott any certain corporation. To not rely on any corporation for things in daily life would be to literally go back to the stone ages (or at least back before the 1700’s and the Industrial Revolution). Is it safe to say your material life is owned by corporations?

Reaction Essay 2

Merchants of Cool

The media (in a roundabout way) is basically run by teens. They’re the ones with the money the corporations want. In 2001, teens alone spent over 32 billion dollars with an additional 50 billion by manipulating parents. Money has become the number one priority among teens; the more money, the more stuff, the happier you will be.

Marketers have caught on to this and have found ways to ‘Sell Cool.’ They look for the trendsetters (and former trendsetters to help) and use them to figure out what the majority are into. These findings are manipulated and exploited by marketers. Sprite has been the most successful company to do so. They are then able to adapt to what teens want and succeed in selling it back to them. They called it the Feed Back Loop; the teens see it on television or in ads, they pick it up, make it into a trend, and sell it back to the marketers. This has become so big, that real life and TV life are starting to blend together.

The thirteen year old girl, trying to become a model is a prime (but sad!) example. She accepted what society wanted and worked to achieve it. At the party for the modeling convention, she was dancing like those she saw in the music videos and shows (especially on MTV). She was selling what she saw back to the marketers.
Marketers and corporations have development ‘Mook’ and ‘Midriff’ to sort of embody males and female teens. Mook is the personification of the male; he is loud, crude and in-your-face. Midriff is the female character with her sexiness and premature adolescents. Marketers use these characters or traits of these characters in everything they produce; and the ratings are high.

Of course there are those who reject mainstream media. Teen rebellion has become a product of MTV; they take a band that only a few people or a certain subculture know, and ‘discover’ them. But even these cases are not safe for long. A corporation will see the potential profit then offer the group or person a deal and inject them into the mainstream; this takes away the originality form a group of teens. They want something is theirs but everything today is commercialized and sold back to them.

Teens today no longer ask “Why?” they just accept it because it is popular. It is almost sad that a thirteen year old girl is going to modeling conventions because she is told so much and so often that she has to be beautiful, or that the reason to buy Sprite is because they throw crazy parties and endorse the Hip-Hop culture.

week five

Boys and Video games :)

I was in Albuquerque over the weekend, and was able to watch Marcus, Devon, Jake, and Jory battle it out in Halo 3 (I was watching the first two.)
FUNNIEST THING IN THE WORLD!!!!!
There was two in one room and two in the other, talking to each other on a head set.
The hours passed (I don't think they even noticed how long) with massive amounts of screaming, yelling, cussing, name calling (and not nice at all). One even ran from the room in celebration (over a video game?).

I was working on homework in a notebook from last semester (because I'm cheap like that). It was from Semantics. The boys playing video games reminded me of the class; how the gaming culture can be defined as its own subculture. It has its own language (either you know it or you don't), vocabulary, actions, habits/rituals, rules, all which show membership. Those who don't know any of these things (like me) are excluded. However in today's society, the are are just a few who still are.

Gaming has reached many generations, with the Nintendo (remember the duck hunting game, and the original Mario?) to today's where you can play against people around the world. What I find odd is people can sit and play for hours on end, and waste away a whole day doing so.

Consumption Log

February 12, 2009 (Thursday)

1. 10:00am
   Woke up
   Texted suite mate
   Read “Those Who Save Us”
2. 11:00am
   Lunch at the CUB
   § Wall of advertisements
   § News paper on table ‘The Durango Herald’
   § Table for registration
   Shower/got ready
   Suite mate is watching ‘Scrubs”
3. 12:00pm
   Laundry
   Read “Those Who Save Us”
4. 1:00pm
   Changed laundry
   Read
   Phone call – debated the legalization of drugs
5. 1:00pm
   Finished laundry
   Continued debate
   Internet
   Checked FLC E-mail
   Started Homework
   Reaction essay
   History lesson plan
6. 3:00pm
   Internet
   Facebook
   Myspace
   MSN email
   Music next door
   Drumming and guitar upstairs
   Re-read article ‘Simulacra and Simulations’
7. 4:00pm
   Meeting of Enrichment course
   Continued reading article
   Researched parts
8. 5:00pm – 6:00pm
   Dinner at CUB
   Went to Burger King
   Drove by businesses, restaurants…
   Listened to Hairspray (four other people in car)
   Stopped to get gas
   Stopped at Grandmas
9. 7:00pm
   Back at dorm
   Looked through movies
   Continued with article
10. 8:00pm-11:00
    Dance practice till 9:30
    Read text book for History
    History assignment on Word
    Opened Internet again
    FLC Moodle
    Up-loaded History assignment
11. 11:00pm
    Worked on Reaction Essay in Word
    Looked at class blogs
12. 12:00am
    Finished book
    Went to bed

I received 80 text messages and sent 90 in one day. I also got two phone calls; one from my mom and the other from my boyfriend in Albuquerque.

For most of the day (since I don't have any classes) I'm my room. Like any other living space, it if filled with brand names.

• HP computer and printer
• Ipod and Ihome
• LG phone
• stack of text books for classes
• stack of novels
• closet full of food (drink mixes and tea mostly)
• microwave and fridge
• cosmetics (make up, hair products,etc.)
• visible brands on coats, shoes, clothing, etc.

I believe you have control on what has an effect on you; don't let something bother you or control you unless you want it to; like with the media. Society influences the media and the media turns around and influences society; it's a never ending cycle. Like with Facebook and Myspace (for me at least) it was my friends who influenced me to set them up (although they set them up for me.) But with everything else I do, or buy is influenced by those I know.

For example, my aunt was the one who told me about the book I read during this observation period. We are constantly exchanging book titles and feedback with each other on what we like and dislike (it helps that we both loves books as well).

As for the better part of my day, I did homework. The text books and articles are dedicated to me by the professor/teacher of that class. As well as the assignments that were due by the end of that day.

Food for the day was dictated by connivance. The CUB is a few minutes from the dorm, and 'free.' For dinner, after we decided we couldn't eat what they served, the decision on where to go came from the majority who decided on Burger King as well as the music we listened to on the way. Since we took my car (because it was the only one big enough), I had to make a few stops; one because the gas meter told me to and the other because I had to pick a package up.

Not watching any television is dictated by the fact that I do not own one. The music and shows that I heard were coming from the room next to me. However this assignment did show me I have a problem with texting (I was shocked at the numbers, but can recall times when they have been higher). The texts were to three different people; two friends and my boyfriend. The same with the phone calls; one to my mom and the other to my boyfriend (who debated the drug issue with me).

So for the most part, (only in a round-a-bout way) does the media have an influence on me. Its the people in my life who do though.

Reaction Essay 1

I found this to be a difficult article to follow and a bit dramatic. ‘Simulacra and Simulations’ was originally written in French then translated into English (possible adding to its complexity). Using philosophical ideas about power, images, and society Baudrillard makes a few valid points. The author’s ideas are like those of Socrates (the ideas of power that is) and how nothing in society is any longer a reality; that society has gotten good at creating the hyperreal.

The hyperreal is not reality – it is what society has created through mass producing images (You no longer have to go to Egypt to see the pyramids, but look at pictures and watch shows on them). Baudrillard gives the most credit to Disney for creating the hyperreal; a magical land, where all dreams come true. Where in real life there is no such place.

The hyperreal is set up in a simulacrum is not based off the truth rather the other way around. Truth is based on the simulacrum because that is all society knows to be true. The way we do things is the way we were shown or told rather than finding out for ourselves (why re-invent the wheel?). The author gave an example of holding up a bank; the idea of doing so might be unique to a person, but the way they do it (style) might be influenced by what they have seen before.

Most of the article is talking about the simulacrum of power; who has it, where does it originate from and why society allows it. The author makes the point that genuine power no longer exits. Power has become an ideology; Monarchy vs. Democracy vs. Socialism (etc.). Power belongs to one, or to the majority, or to the workers. The scenario of power is why these systems were created, and why they are still around. The article also points out that capitalism is a simulation that feeds off producing the supply and demand for the forms of power (society needs a structure to follow, so one is set up for them; there is no such thing as a Utopia).

Baudrillard goes on to point of that power is like the soul, it can only be separated from the body in death. This point is proven with the example of Nixon and Kennedy. Nixon stepped down from power thus letting it go; whereas Kennedy died with power thus keeping it. Basically humans hold on to what they are losing; especially power. Death of a person’s power is usually the death of that person.

The whole point of this article was to prove Media is a simulacrum. Society thinks it reflects reality, when in fact, it is not reality. The media has such an influence that many human desires come from the simulacrum it sets up; no one desires reality anymore. An example is ‘Reality TV’. Everyone knows shows in this category are scripted, but some still perceive them as what is real; how life really is. Society has been disconnected this way from reality; from nature.

I do not really agree with this some of the ideas in this article; not everyone is disconnected from reality. Certain events (even in everyday lives) bring us back to reality. Death shows us that we are not invincible, birth shows us there is a beginning, war shows that we are not all in agreement, peace shows us we can work together, love shows us we have a weakness, and hate shows us we are not perfect. None of these are simulated or a simulacrum; maybe the way we are exposed to them is, but it is still a reality.

week four

This weeks subject was introduced to me by one of my suite mates. (It seemed like a good thing to write about). Its shot using one of my favorite kind of filming techniques; moving pictures (like the Nightmare Before Christmas!). The colors (mostly black and white) are simple, but add to the chicness of the film; keeping it simple. There are about 3225 still photos in this three min film, using a stationary camera hanging from the ceiling; and took only two days to create. The singer (Oren Lavie) and producers for this film are all from Israel. (little side fact, I found interesting, and on Myspace).

week three

Its hard to write these blogs with no TV. The last time I watched TV was Monday night at my aunts house. My cousin and I are both into history so we watched the History Channel. They were airing a program called 'Cities of the Underworld: Gods of War.' The host was at various Ancient World sites in Turkey, going through the tunnels built during the rise of the Roman Empire. It gave light to the past, and showed they were smarter than we give them credit for. My aunt who is a librarian at Nedam, kept saying "How did they do that, with the resources they had? Its amazing!" (it reminded me why I once wanted to be a archaeologist.)
Because its part of the new season, it is not up on the sight yet.
But here is the link to Season One episodes. (He did one on Hitler?)

http://www.history.com/cities-of-the-underworld

week two

I came across a list of censored/banned books the other day, and was wondering if they had one for other forms of media (radio/television etc.).
I found there are different kinds of censorship (moral, military, political, religious and corporate) but this was all for types of print. Hardly anything came up on visual media.
At the end of this post is a link to a list of banned book (one of several). Some of these books have been banned in the US, (but not by the government) by different groups. Some of these books are considered classics in the US, but what makes them bad to other countries/governments?
There is also a link to how advertisements are censored. So countries do not allow advertisements to target children. Its hard to imagine what is considered not to. Isn't that what most advertisement companies go for?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_banned_books

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advertising_regulation

Ad Deconstruction

This ad takes place in a present day, brightly lit store. A younger looking dad and his son are grocery shopping; but the dad won’t let his son get what he wants. As a result the kid starts throwing a fit. The kid escalates to screaming at the top of his lungs, kicking on the floor and grabbing things off the shelves; the dad does not make a huge effort to stop the boy. The camera focuses on the expressions of the other shoppers with special attention to the boy and the dad. A few frames are of those standing around watching the kid throw the fit (they look astonished). The little boy is show at different stages of the tantrum (throwing things and ending up on the floor) while the dad just watches. The dad appears annoyed that his kid is throwing a fit, and perhaps the fact he even has one in the first place.

The reason for the commercial comes at the end when the slogan “Use condoms” pops up and the logo for the ZanZoo condom company is shown. This ad is for a brand of condoms in Europe (it original aired in there) and is targeted towards younger, perhaps unmarried couples and/or teens. The unvoiced message or solution to a problem is to not become a parent before you are ready by using a condom. The company uses a kid throwing a tantrum to grab the audience’s attention (it grabbed the attention of the other shoppers!) and appeals to the fear of being embarrassed in public.

The ad is rather simple; the larger portion of it is the kid screaming and throwing his tantrum. The last few seconds is the spoken slogan for the condom “Fun, Sexy, Safe.” Keeping the language simple can make it easier for the viewer to concentrate on the message. What is not that obvious (unless you are familiar with that brand) is the slogan that appears in the logo: “One for 2.” Meaning the one condom will (hopefully) make two peoples lives a litter easier by not adding the stress of raising a kid. It is meant to make people think twice before having unprotected sex by giving them a shot of reality (who has not seen some kid, at some time, throw a tantrum in the store because they could not have their way?).

While doing this assignment I showed this ad to a few people, to get their opinions or reactions to it. The responses varied; a few gave me a reaction that I do not think the company intended. Some thought it was hysterical (like myself), others depressing, and others said they had seen commercials like it. In my opinion the ad was effective; it made you think and laugh at the same time. I mean, who wants to be the one to deal with a screaming kid like that? I know it is part of being a parent, but the dad didn't seem to care what his kid was doing. He just looked at the boy and hoped he would stop.

week one

The other night I was watching Across the Universe (to get over how depressing the film in class was). Such a brilliant movie, even if you don't like musicals. The writers of the movie knew what they were doing.


The clip I used is my favorite part. Who here has never thought of trying to slide down the bowling ally once in their life? Plus the music is catchy. If you watch closely, the actors/actresses step over the scratch line...You do that today and the thing buzzes at you!




The entire move is a collection of Beetles songs put together to tell a story, with references to others not used. (they left out the Yellow Submarine song!)

The use of different filming techniques, angles and other shots gave the movie a real 60's feel with the bright colors and special effects. Yay Hollywood!


Such an interesting time in US history; the 60s. Vietnam, Woodstock and hippies, new and different music (like the Beatles), television becoming more wide spread, protests, Nixon and John F. Kennedy, the Civil Rights Movement and MLK Jr... (and not in that order).
A very interesting time to live in for sure. The use of media became real evident at this time. The effects it had still show through to today. Ever seen the footage of the MLK and JFK assassination? Or the many marches that took place for peace? Even footage from the front lines can be viewed.

There is footage of WWII but it was not seen till after the fact. Television was not popular till after the war. But grandparents can remember watching the war and other events.

There is not a family in the country (unless they moved here after the fact) that does not have a story from then. Anyone ever ask?
Its a very interesting topic to discuss with that generation.

Makes you wonder what it would be like to live through it...

Anyways, if you haven't already, watch the movie. It's a good one.